


Live In Hope

by eerian_sadow



Series: Prowl the Dancer [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Community: prowlxjazz, F/M, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Transgender, prowlxjazz Anniversary Challenge 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2013-09-02
Packaged: 2017-12-25 10:52:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jazz is a persistent mech.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Live In Hope

**Author's Note:**

> this takes place in the same 'verse as [Past Life](http://archiveofourown.org/works/952196). Since I didn't give Past Life a re-read before writing this, it does actually retcon one of Prowl's lines in the original story, but that's nothing that won't get fixed with some future editing. ~_^
> 
> written for the Sept 2103 Anniversary Challenge at LJ's prowlxjazz community, for the prompt "life is short and you are hot".

Jazz watched, almost mesmerized as the dance troupe moved across the stage. They were beautiful, moving across the stage with a grace and precision he hadn't seen outside of some of the martial arts he had trained in during his youth. The lead dancer, the main character in the story the troupe was interpreting, was especially captivating.

Praxian frames were works of art in themselves. They were built with precision engineering, with strong lines and long limbs. Their frames were limber and made to _move_. They were a people made for dancing or fighting or any other art form that utilized their sleek forms. The lead dancer was a masterpiece of Praxian engineering, and he wanted to watch her forever.

Jazz pulled his optics away from the performance long enough to look at the program and find her name. _Prowl. A mysterious name for a gorgeous femme._

He looked back up in time for her to sweep by near the edge of the stage, trailing the gossimer cloth of her costume over the plating of the viewers in the front row. Jazz resisted the urge to reach up and grab the cloth, but he did give the femme a bright smile as she passed.

Prowl don't break character to return the smile, but she did take a brief moment to give the visored mech a second look.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Prowl came up short as she saw the black and white mech with the visor from the front row standing outside the performers' door. The others dancers had left groons ago, leaving her alone to face this stranger in the hall. Nervous, she queued up the enforcer's emergency comm channel before speaking.

"Can I help you?"

"Wow, what a voice." The black and white mech smiled widely. "Do you sing as well as you dance?"

"No, I don't sing." Prowl frowned. "What can I do for you?"

"Sorry," the stranger ducked his head, embarrassed. "My name's Jazz. I was hoping I could take you out for energon."

"I'm sorry, take me for energon?" Prowl's doorwing's lifted in alarm. "That's very forward of you. What makes you think I would even consider it?"

"I live in hope." Jazz grinned at her. "So, what do you say?"

"I'm sorry, I can't." She didn't shut down her comm system, but she did close the performers' door behind her. It wasn't even an untruth; she had a meeting with her agent tonight.

"I'm still on leave tomorrow."

"I have another performance during the midcycle before the night show." Prowl frowned, surprised by how disappointed she was not to be able to go with this stranger. "I'm sorry."

"Well, can I at least get your comm code for the next time I'm in town? I'd really like to get that energon." Jazz gave her a hopeful look.

The dancer hesitated again. He seemed sincere enough, but energon out in a public place was different than giving him her comm code. After some of the crazier fan calls she had received, she had taken her agent's advice and changed it to a private listing.

"Please?"

"All right, but no funny business." Prowl relented and pinged him with her comm code. "And I'm not promising anything. I might be just as busy the next time."

"It's all right." The mech's bright smile was back. "Like I said, I live in hope."

Prowl was unsurprised when he pinged her with his code in return. "A great deal of hope, I see."

"Life is short and you are absolutely gorgeous." He chuckled, and she couldn't help but join him despite how embarased his words made her.

"Right. Um, I'll see you around then." She turned and started walking down the hallway. Her meeting wouldn't wait very long, after all.

"See you around, Prowl."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

_Three Vorns Later_

Jazz was processing transfer requests--something he hated having dumped on him by the base commander--when the new tactician walked into the room. Immediately, he forgot his irritation with what he was working on.

The mech was black and white like himself, and Praxian. He moved with the confident footsteps of a mech trained to fight, but with the light grace of a dancer or martial artist. His doorwings swept up boldly behind him, confident and proud. Jazz could just hear the timbre of his voice when the Praxian spoke to one of the junior officers, and it warmed his circuits.

He smiled when the tactician caught him staring, and gave him a wave.

To his shock, the new tactician returned the gesture and then made his way across the room to him. "You are Jazz, correct?"

"That's me." Jazz grinned. "First officer of the base, head of Intel and lead singer of the Tyger Pax Unauthorized Morale Band. We're authorized, by the way; our bass mech just thought it was funny. You're Prowl, right?"

"I am."

"Huh. Didn't realize you were Praxian. Is that a commmon name? Cause I met this amazing dancer once..." The Intellegence officer trailed off as the tactician's confident posture slipped. "You okay?"

Prowl shook his head. "It is not a common name. I am the only Praxian with that particular designation for the last hundred vorns."

"Oh. Oh!" Jazz's optics widened as Prowl's words clicked. He had heard that the dancer had died, but clearly that wasn't true. "Wow."

"I should go." The Praxian turned to go, but the visored mech reached out and grabbed his arm before he could take more than a single step.

"That was _not_ a bad wow. That was "wow, I'm glad you survived" and "wow, this is new", but not a bad wow."

"I've heard that before."

"From mechs who had intentions that were less pure than mine, I'm sure." Jazz tried to give Prowl a reassuring smile, but he wasn't sure how well it worked. "You're still absolutely gorgeous, though, and I'd really like to buy you that energon still."

"I'm not that femme anymore."

"I can see that. But I'd like to get to know the mech you are now. It'll just be energon, I promise. I won't even mention dancing if you don't want me to."

Prowl turned back to the visored mech's table with a blank face. "You still live in hope, I see."

"Every day. Come on. Life's too short to miss this chance again."

"All right. But just energon. I'm not promising anything else."


End file.
